This Saturday, the 17th, in Portland is going to rock more than most. Garage bands from all over the country will infiltrate four bars around downtown. There’s a healthy smattering of international acts as well, such as Thee Vicars from the UK and Mojomatics, all the way from Venice, Italy. This free one-day festival is put on by Vice Records and includes a line-up of over 30 bands all falling somewhere between death metal and rockabilly. this is sure to be a raucous good time.

Some of the bigger names on the roster feature The Black Lips, Jay Retard, and King Khan and the BBQ Show. But I’m most excited for Tennessee’s Those Darlins, Portland’s The Fresh and Onlys, Austin’s Strangeboys, and Atlanta’s Coathangers, to name a few. Some Seattle bands making the short trip South are The Spits, and The Dutchess and The Duke. Look for a few interviews with some of the kick ass acts and hopefully we’ll have some sweet images. If you haven’t gotten your wristband yet or won one from us, it may be too late. But for those of you who have, remember, no chain wallets allowed, and the bars are listed below. See you Southward!

Satyricon
125 NW 6th Ave
ALL AGES

Berbati’s Pan
231 SW Ankeny
ALL AGES

Someday Lounge
125 NW 5TH Ave
21 +

Dante’s
1 SW 3rd Ave
21 +

The first time I heard about The Coathangers, a bad-ass, all girl band from Atlanta, was from music writer (for now?) Christopher Weingarten's 1000 Times Yes Twitter record review project (where he reviews a thousand records this year in 140 characters or less). His review described the band's new album Scramble as "Be Your Own Pet as cartoon-saturated Kill Rock Stars no-wavers, punk rock as beach blanket bingo."

That's enough to perk up my ears, and as my initial hunch was correct, I do really enjoy listening to The Coathangers. Scramble does bring to mind BYOP (whose album Get Awkward was my very favorite of 2008) as well as Kill Rock Stars' best riot grrrl bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. It's often messy, disjointed punk but they also have some surf and garage tendencies. One song on Scramble, "Stop Stomping Around" sounds like a 1960s summer beach hit, with some great girl group harmonies.

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There's few things that get my heart racing like limited edition vinyl delivered right to my home. The folks at Suicide Squeeze Records have put together a 7” Series for 2008 that will do just that.

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